Federal Worker Loan Programs – IT and Customer Support Services

The Federal Shutdown Paycheck Protection Act of 2019 created the Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Fund. The Act amended the name of the fund to the Federal Government Employee Assistance Fund (the Fund) and expanded the Fund’s purpose. The Fund is currently funded by the State’s Catastrophic Event Account. The Maryland Department of Labor administers the Fund.
The Act authorizes financial assistance programs for two distinct groups of Maryland residents who are either current or recent employees of a unit of the federal government. These include both civilian and non-civilian employees. The two groups are:

1. Federal employees who have been terminated in the six months immediately preceding the individual’s application due to mass firing events beyond their control (served under the Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program).
2. Federal employees who are designated as “excepted” during a federal shutdown, meaning they must work during the shutdown period but do not receive a paycheck during that time (served under the Federal Shutdown Loan Program).

The Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program has been running since its launch in June 2025 and has provided $86,000 in loans. In October 2025, MD Labor launched the Federal Shutdown Loan Program due to the federal government shutdown that ultimately lasted 43 days. The program closed when the shutdown ended on November 12, 2025, and provided nearly 3,500 no-interest $700 loans, totaling $2.43 million in loans.
The Offeror should provide a project plan and supporting materials that cover one federal shutdown per year lasting at least four weeks under the Federal Shutdown Loan Program. The platform would process as many as 5,000 applications from “excepted” workers, those who must report to work during a federal shutdown but do not receive a paycheck during the closure. The Offeror should also consider a scenario in which there is a second launch of the shutdown loan program of similar length and application volume in the same year because there are additional full or partial federal shutdowns. The Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program administration is continuous. The Offeror should plan to provide those services throughout the contract period, at an application volume of approximately 300 applications per year.